5 Crucial Tips for Dog Hiking Safety During Hunting Season

If you and your dog are hiking regularly, safety needs to be a priority — especially during hunting season. From knowing when and where you can encounter hunters to taking personal precautions for your safety, there are many ways to ensure you and hunters can enjoy the outdoors together. Follow these five crucial tips for hiking safely with your dog during hunting season.  

1. Know Your Area’s Hunting Seasons

From turkey and squirrel to deer and bear, there is a large variety of legally huntable animals across the United States. Instead of standardized nationwide guidelines, what can be hunted and when is decided by each state. For instance, states such as California and South Carolina have some of the earliest deer hunting seasons in the country. Furthermore, there are even different seasons based on the method of hunting, such as archery and rifle seasons. Before hitting the trails, check your state’s hunting resources or visit Hunting Season HQ for a quick, searchable map of the 2023-2024 hunting seasons by state.

2. Plan Your Day Around Hunting Schedules

Another easy tip to ensure both you and your dog’s safety while hiking during hunting season is to take into consideration the most common times hunters will be in the woods. Avid hikers may love getting picturesque sunrise or sunset shots during their adventures, but these times are also when you’re most likely to encounter hunters. Additionally, planning your trip can become even more tricky as daylight hours begin to dwindle throughout the late fall and winter months. Lastly, opening and closing days can often be the most heavily hunted days within an individual hunting season.

3. Know Where Hikers and Hunters Can Collide

Now, you may be thinking these safety tips aren’t necessary for you because you avoid hiking in state game lands. However, both state and national parks are known to also allow hunting for a variety of reasons. When planning your upcoming hike, make sure you know whether you will be crossing any common or busy hunting areas. When hiking in a hunting area, be aware of your surroundings, make yourself known so you don’t startle hunters, and avoid any hunting blinds or areas with tree stands to avoid contaminating the space with your scent. Lastly, it’s crucial to keep your dog safely on a leash while hiking during hunting season. This ensures your dog will not be mistaken for huntable game, interfere with hunters (or hunting dogs!), and will help eliminate unpredictable variables, such as fearfully running off due to the sound of gunshots.

4. Visibility Is Crucial to Safety

When hitting the trails during hunting season, visibility is a must. The best way to make sure hunters see you and your dog is to outfit both of you in fluorescent hunter orange. Making yourself easily visible to hunters ensures neither your nor your dog’s movements can be mistaken for an animal in season. Additionally, adding a bell to your dog’s collar can help announce your presence before being seen so you don’t spook stealthy hunters lying in wait. Need help shopping for a dog vest? Check out some of the best hunting dog vests we’ve rated for visibility and safety here.

5. Make Hiking Safety a Priority

Every time you and your pooch step foot on a trail, it’s important to ensure you have first aid supplies and an emergency plan. Know where the closest hospital is for you, as well as an emergency vet for your pup. Furthermore, know what medications you and your furry friend take and current vaccinations so medical personnel can best treat both of you. Finally, never go hiking without readily available first aid supplies and a basic understanding of how to use them. Shop the pet first aid kits we rated best here.  

Enjoy the Trails — Safely and Respectfully

As the weather cools and the days grow shorter, the number of hunters in the woods is increasing. But don’t let that scare you away from enjoying the outdoors. Follow these five simple but crucial tips to ensure your and your dog’s safety while hitting the trails during hunting season.

Summary: 5 Crucial Tips for Dog Hiking Safety During Hunting Season